The present invention relates to mounting devices and, in particular, to devices for mounting a machine element with a bore coaxially onto a shaft, for common movement with the shaft.
A common mechanical objective is to mount a gear, wheel or pulley onto a shaft for rotation with the shaft. One approach is to closely machine the tolerances so that the element on the shaft is centered. The more accurately the bore is machined the better the concentricity, but the higher the cost.
One known system for mounting a gear to a shaft (for example U.S. Pat. No. 4,345,851) employs two coaxial, nested sleeves that are threaded together. The inner sleeve has a frustro-conical exterior that mates with the frustro-conical interior of the outer sleeve. The inner sleeve is slit and split so that threading the two sleeves together compresses and shrinks the inner sleeve. The outer sleeve has circumferentially spaced segments that are pressed outwardly as the sleeves are threaded together. Thus the nested sleeves may be placed around a sleeve and inside a gear so that when tightened, the sleeves engage and center the gear on the shaft, and hold it securely thereon for rotation therewith.
See also U.S. Pat. Nos. 602,149; 1,380,708; 2,269,132; 3,957,381 4,824,281 4,848,953, and the Application prior U.S. Pat. No. 5,067,846, which disclose alternative mounting arrangements.
A disadvantage with some of these known mounting devices is the relatively large number of parts required and the relative difficulty of manufacturing them, for instance, the expensive and complicated task of forming frustro-conical surfaces as in the aforesaid U.S. Pat. No. 4,345,851.
Accordingly, there is a need for a mounting device which is relatively simple to make for securely mounting a machine element to a shaft coaxially, for movement with the shaft, and a device requiring few and easily manufactured components.
It is an object of this invention to meet the aforesaid need by setting forth a mounting device, for mounting an element having a central bore, on a shaft, via said bore, for movement of said element in common with said shaft, comprising a split sleeve dimensioned to be receivable within said bore; and means for (a) envelopment of at least a portion of said sleeve, (b) entering said bore, (c) clamping said sleeve into fast, radial-gripping engagement with said shaft, (d) expanding into fast, radial-gripping engagement with said bore, and (e) impressing an axial force against the element.